Knight Rider 08: December 2008 Archives

It's been a long few weeks but we're finally back with a new episode of Knight Rider!

This is the last of 9 episodes before the reboot begins next week, so get ready for the world to be flipped. Tonights episode is called Knight Fever and it airs at 8pm TONIGHT December 31st!

KITT MAY HAVE MET HIS MATCH WHEN HE FALLS VICTIM TO A DESTRUCTIVE COMPUTER VIRUS-- Mike (Justin Bruening) must stop the spread of a computer virus that threatens a total global meltdown. The job gets much harder when KITT (voiced by Val Kilmer) is infected. Meanwhile, Mike's jealousy begins to show when Sarah (Deanna Russo) reconnects with an old flame (guest star Jeffrey Pierce, "The Nine"), who may be the key to solving the latest mission.

While visiting the Knight Rider set we met a bunch of really cool stand-ins and stunt doubles for the major cast members. But when it comes to picking a favorite, I think we might have to agree with Picture Car Coordinator Charlie Ping. That's right our favorite is KITT's stunt double, a car that goes by the name KR3. Find out why by watching the video below.

In this video posted to Hulu, actor Paul Campbell tries to convince members of the cast and crew of Knight Rider to get behind his story idea that he wishes to pitch to Gary Scott Thompson, series Executive Producer and Showrunner. Will he convince anyone to stand behind his idea, and what will Gary think? Check out the fun entertaining look behind the scenes.

Also, be sure to check out the end of the message for a special seasons greetings message from Paul, Smith Cho, Justin Bruening, Deanna Russo and KITT.

If you checked out Master Key Films' demo reel the other day you may have heard a familiar voice saying "This is Master Key Films". To the keen ear you could tell that it was none other than Peter Cullen, voice of KARR in the original series as well as the voice of Optimus Prime in Transformers. We didn't know then if this was hinting to him reprising KARR as well.

The news became official today as NBC released a synopsis of episode 12, Knight to King's Pawn - the episode where KARR is set to reappear. The synopsis contains spoilers, so it's available after the jump.

We knew this was coming. We knew it couldn't be stopped. Some were worried that it would destroy our childhood while others embraced it. And now here we are with our first look at KARR in the episode set to air on January 21st, and we've just wet ourselves.

If you're pants can handle the load, check out masterkeyfilms.com and find their reel. You can see this scene and bits of other signs of things to come. The second half of Knight Rider is going to be an amazing show to watch.

Even though we haven't had a new episode in several weeks, the team behind the Knight Writers blog have been doing great in keeping us informed each week. This time it is series Executive Producer and Showrunner Gary Scott Thompson's time to talk with us.

Along with answering several questions he continues to enforce what we talked about with him recently, that Knight Rider is NOT canceled:

Q: Is the show canceled? What can we do to insure a second season?

No, the show hasn't been cancelled. We'll continue to air in the months to come. Like any show, the more people who watch, the greater the chances of us coming back in the in fall, so definitely get your friends to tune in.

MIKE AND KITT TRY TO RESCUE A KIDNAPPED FOREIGN AMBASSADOR FROM A TERRORIST IN TIME FOR PEACE TALKS--Mike (Justin Bruening) and KITT (voiced by Val Kilmer) are sent on an endless string of mini-missions by a crazy terrorist in exchange to keep Ambassador Olara Kumali (guest star Vanessa Williams) alive, but they soon realize that they are part of a bigger plan. Trying to outsmart the terrorist, Rivai (Sydney Tamiia Poitier) and a team of FBI agents find themselves in an explosive situation. Meanwhile, Sarah (Deanna Russo) and Dr. Graiman (Bruce Davison) try to fix a sick robot.

MIKE AND KITT CONTINUE ON THEIR QUEST TO STOP A TERRORIST FROM DETONATING A NUCLEAR WEAPON AND KILLING THE AMBASSADOR--Mike (Justin Bruening) and KITT (voiced by Val Kilmer) are now transporting a bomb in the trunk of the car, but in order for it not to explode they must stay above 100 miles-per-hour. Trying to come up with a plan to disable the bomb, they load KITT onto the plane to buy some time and keep up their speed. Clinging to life, Rivai (Sydney Tamiia Poitier) manages to give a clue to find where the terrorist is hiding. Meanwhile, Sarah (Deanna Russo) receives some upsetting news about her dad. Bruce Davison, Yancey Arias and Paul Campbell star. Smith Cho recurs and Rick Hoffman and Richard Roundtree guest star.

The next new episode of Knight Rider airs on December 31st with episode 9 - Knight Fever.

While visiting the set we bumped into actor Paul Campbell, who plays Billy Morgan. He was not scheduled to be in any of the scenes for that day, but neither he nor KITT would reveal what they were up to. We were however able to pry a few secrets out of him about the upcoming episodes. Check out the video above or the images from set below.

Just because there isn't a new Knight Rider episodes, that doesn't mean the Knight Rider blogs on NBC will go dark. We saw a couple of updates this week on both the Knight Writers blog and Billy's Underground.

On the Knight Writers they tell everyone to check out the Photosynth KITTCave we mentioned earlier in the week. It seems the hold up in release was due to some permissions Microsoft needed from NBC.

The job of a Propmaster requires alot of responsibility. They are responsible for creating or obtaining the props that will be used in any episode, an undoubtedly at times daunting task.

Fortunately for the team at Knight Rider, they have the experience of Steve Whiteside on their team. The only member of the crew to have worked on the original series, his usefulness to the cast and crew is limitless. Be sure to stay tuned to the end of the video above for a message from Steve to how we can all help Knight Rider.

Above you see one of the most iconic images from the classic Knight Rider. It's of David Hasselhoff sitting on the the hood of KITT on the back lot of Universal Studios. We were on set yesterday the opportunity presented itself to try and recreate a little nostalgia and history of that moment.

Below is our updated version with Justin Bruening, it really shows how well the spirit of Michael Knight has been captured.

Of course, costar Paul Campbell couldn't let Justin have all the fun and insisted on giving it a shot.

We still have a few videos from Sues visit to the set on Friday to post as well as coverage from both Michael and Sue visiting on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. So be sure to check back, lots of exciting stuff to share on the way to the relaunch.

Photosynth is a pretty cool technology from Microsoft where by hundreds of images are taken of a 3D space and then overlayed together, allowing a user to view the images and walk around the space. This is different from a VR photo as the images are not stitched together seamlessly but rather revealed to the user in an amazing collage.

We were there on set in September when the team from Redmond took photos of the KITT Cave or Satellite Surveillance Center. Finally we can share with you this amazing experience after the jump or on their website. It is alas PC only at this time (though they promise a Mac plugin soon)

Visual Effects Set Supervisor Eliza Pelham Randall describes for us in an exclusive interview how they are going to pull off one of the major stunts of Episode Seventeen by incorporating real and digital aspects. Spoiler alert. See video above.

The TVGuide 2008 Sci-Fi Preview Issue is out, and it has something to say about Knight Rider:

KNIGHT RIDER (Returns Wednesday, 12/31, 8/7c, NBC) The full-season pickup of this middling performer - thanks in part to solid male viewership and a Ford partnership that includes loads of ads and cars - means we get one more reboot of the reimagined '80s series. The January 7 episode begins the three-part exit of actors Yancey Arias, Bruce Davison, and Sydney Tamiia Poitier (one character gets a heart-wrenching death scene), which clears the road for the streamlined January 28 relaunch. After the show's government consipiracy is revealed, "there will be more closed-ended episodes," says executive producer Gary Scott Thompson. Anything else to sweeten that car deal, Gary? "We have Richard Roundtree [guest starring on January 14] and then Tiki Barber [on February 4]." Sold. ---Danny Spiegel

It would appear that there are not too many dull moments on the Knight Rider set. We arrived just after some four or five thousand rounds of ammunition had been shot off. Throughout the rest of the night the bullet casings clinked underfoot. We knew we were going to be in for a treat at the end of the night because periodically the props department would set off a test of some of the pyrotechnics they had in store. Watch our relatively spoiler free video and stay tuned for more to come.

Here are some behind the scenes images, click on the thumbnails to enlarge.

Between takes of the filming of Episode 17 we got a chance to talk with star Justin Bruening. In our exclusive interview he reveals a few secrets about Episode 17, as well as some really exciting things the New Year will have in store for us. Among them, where are all his costars?

Here are some images of Justin on set, click on the thumbnails to enlarge.

We were lucky enough to have the opportunity to probe staff writers Rachel Mellon and Teresa Huang, the writers for "I Wanna Rock & Roll All Knight". They discuss what secrets the writers room might have in the works for us after the Holidays. We also compare notes on the Hasselhoff rumors. Check out the video below.

With our latest visit to the set there was one nagging question on our minds. Does the reduction in the episode order signify the series cancellation? Show Runner Gary Scott Thompson reassured us with his answer in the following video.

**EDITIORIAL NOTE** Knight Rider needs our support more than ever! Please send this video to TV sites that you frequent or embed the video on your blog. If you can - hit the Digg button as well (requires digg membership). It is critical that we get this video in front of as many eyes as possible. Media outlets are falsely reporting that Knight Rider is canceled when it clearly is not. Help spread the word! We can all make a difference!

Our ever observant friend Jaime stopped by the location from yesterday and was fortunate to find that they were still shooting there! Here are some photos that he took today, which again contain no obvious spoilers. These minor visits led to something bigger that we look forward to sharing with you soon!

Business is proceeding as usual on the set of Knight Rider. Our good friend Jaime (who also caught the first picks of Attack KITT in the wild) caught them at the Los Angeles Center Studios yesterday filming a scene from episode 17, the now final episode of the season. There are no spoilers revealed in these images that we can see, just some shots of our favorite Mustang.

The news that came down the pipe yesterday about Knight Riders reduction in schedule have been now backed up by reports in Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. All reports seen thus far have stressed that NBC has not canceled the show.

Net also quietly cut its episodic order on "Knight Rider," which will end the season early -- on Feb. 25. NBC had picked up a full season of "Knight Rider," but the show's ratings haven't improved.

As a result, the Peacock's "Knight Rider" season order has been trimmed from 22 to 17 episodes. Net stresses that "Knight Rider" isn't canceled -- but the downsized order isn't a good sign for the remake.

The decision was part of a flurry of NBC scheduling announcements made Wednesday, including an early season-finale date for "Knight Rider." The action-drama will conclude Feb. 25, with the show halting production after 17 episodes. The network has said it plans to overhaul the show, with format changes still to air in the coming weeks, but the episode cutback suggests there is little expectation that a revamp will reverse the Wednesday night drama's ratings decline.

Sad news has just come from NBC with an annoucement discussing their post superbowl schedule. Amongst the line items was this tidbit:

8-9 p.m. -- "Knight Rider" (season finale February 25; new show beginning March 4 to be announced soon)

This means that if Knight Rider was to air every week once it comes back on December 31st, they would only get to airing 17 episodes. Originally scheduled for 13 to air, they recently received a full season order bring the total to 22.

We're hearing now that they are currently shooting episode 17, which is written and directed by series showrunner Gary Scott Thompson. Filming is expected to be completed next Friday.

As for the scripts for the remaining five episodes, we've been told that they will be held for season two, if that were to happen. Right now it looks like the future of Knight Rider is soley in the viewers hands. It would require a significant turn in the ratings to sway NBCs minds. Unfortunately, ratings wise, Knight Rider never found it's audience and many (+2 million) never returned after it was forced to skip a week for a political event.